Former President John Mahama has described as illogical the identification criteria announced by the National Identification Authority (NIA), for any Ghanaian who seeks to register for the card.

According to him, the move will denationalize over 20 million Ghanaians.

He however assured that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), will do everything possible to have the identification scope expanded for the exercise.

“The NDC is going to do everything to fight for the best interest of the majority of the people to make sure that they are able to be identified and be given cards so that they can be identified as bonafide Ghanaians and that nobody is denationalized because of this process,” he assured.

The National Identification Authority (NIA) said it is accepting only passports or birth certificates as the mode of identification for the exercise.

Although some Ghanaians have raised concerns with the limited mode of identification, the NIA seems not be bothered with such concerns.

Speaking to teaming NDC supporters on Saturday during the party’s final Unity Walk, John Mahama said:

“We will use every legitimate instrument that is possible under a democracy to ensure that every Ghanaian is able to register as a Ghanaian.”

He said the NDC will fight in the interest of Ghanaians because the Ghana card will soon become “the single most important identification for every Ghanaian.”

“One of the villages in my constituency and let me use an example, Horeyere. It’s a small community in Bole Bamboi. Perhaps nobody in the whole of Horeyere has a certificate or a passport. So for the 300 or 400 people in Horeyere with nobody having a birth certificate or a passport to prove that they are Ghanaian, how are you going to register those people in Horeyere.”

“So it is illogical and shortsighted and a very strong symbol of incompetence that you cannot think far and see that on the basis for what you have prescribed as the criteria for the qualification for the national ID card, you are going to disenfranchise more than 20 million of our citizens and that is unacceptable.”

John Mahama argued that the limited identification scope by the NIA is “a deliberate attempt to denationalize some of our people.”

He said the NDC “shall not accept it, we will not stand by and let this happen.”

Minority boycotts Ghana card registration

The Minority in Parliament has served notice of boycotting the registration of MPs onto the NIA database on Monday, June 11, 2018.

The Minority MPs said they are boycotting the exercise because the NIA has failed to address some concerns raised in terms of the identification requirement and cost of the entire project.

No show

The Ghana Card registration finally began last week at the Jubilee House on a low note after it failed to launch for five times despite several assurances.

The NIA apologised to the Presidency and other institutions for its inability to issue the Ghana Card some few weeks ago.

According to the NIA, it was unable to start the registration and issuance of the card as announced due to “technical difficulties.”